Double standards
This article brought tears to my eyes – tears of anger. Kavita Krishnan makes the preposterous assumption that Yakub Memon was an innocent man cheated by the country's judicial system ("Rule of law, double standards and what the nation really needs to know"). This is blatant contempt of court. However, sending a notice to the author would be a waste of paper.
Hindus have and always will be a peace-loving people. But look at the price we have paid for being secular. Our secularism resulted in a change to the geographical composition of our country. We lost Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan in the process.
And thanks to people like Kavita Krishnan, we will lose Kashmir, Assam and other states too, but will not give up on our pseudo-secularism. I do not say this as a fanatic but as a person extremely worried about the sympathy shown for a terrorist responsible for the loss of innocent lives in Mumbai.
Had it not been for our secular bent of mind, would an Akbaruddin Owaisi get away with unprovoked hate speeches? And had it not been for an impartial judiciary, would Kavita Krishnan have the guts to write this article? – Sridhar Adivi
***
The author is a member of the CPI(ML). a party which endorses killing the so-called 'enemies of the people'. It's hypocrisy on her part to call for a ban on the death penalty.
She indirectly questions the judgments of the country's highest court. At the same time, she sympathises with those who still believe that Yakub Memon was innocent. That said, I completely agree with the author's views on lack of justice with regard to past riot cases. – Alok Kapoor
***
In our country, it's very easy to communalise everything, even terrorism, and that reflects in your article. You have very tactfully moulded the facts to suit your convenience.
I would like to remind you that it is our moral duty as humans and as Indians to condemn acts of terrorism anywhere and we should support the government irrespective of our caste, religion or our affiliation with any particular political party.
Ia democratic country, people do have right to express their opinion. But some self-regulation is also required on our part. The right to express an opinion doesn't mean that we can insult the judiciary. The Supreme Court has declared Yakub Memon a co-conspirator in the Mumbai blasts, so please respect that and do not insult the victims or their families by calling Memon a victim.
Any act of terrorism is against humanity, so not try to provide any logical reason or justification for such acts. You have the power to reach many people so please do not waste it. Do something which can really help the underprivileged people of our country. – Mamta
I really liked what the author has written about the 'rule of law'. I'm very happy that someone in this country has written something about equality and also posed questions to the government.
Gujarat riots
The article changed my view of the nation ("I was sick of the hateful climate in Gujarat: judge explains why he quit after the riots"). I loved my country because our elders brought freedom to us. But we are still not free and India needs a revolution to become secular again. I salute Mr. Trivedi. – Mohd Zuhaib
***
I appreciate your decision to publish the judge's comments. It will help the public understand the truth about the Gujarat riots. – Joshua Mathai
***
If "three months before the violence, lists were distributed detailing who works where and who lives where", how on Earth can anyone describe the Gujarat massacre of 2002 as "riots"?
Rioting is not pre-planned. Unfortunately, this reference to conspiracy by a former judge will not be treated as evidence, just as Babu Bajrangi's boasting before the camera of Tehelka was ignored. – Mukul Dube
Moral policing
I found this entire episode smacking of some nefarious plot in which consenting adults are being questioned for their private and very personal issues in public ("To halt moral policing, we must support our grown-up kids' right to share rooms with their partners"). What kind of morality and integrity were the police showing in invading privacy?
All the personnel involved in either giving the orders or executing them should be given a show cause notice. The woman police officer who slapped a girl should be suspended. – Farrukh Waris
***
The author of the article is openly propagating immoral behaviour. What does she mean when she expresses hatred towards the hotels and flat owners who ask for marriage certificates?
Would she let her daughter do this? Or is she propagating sex before marriage? This is blatant misuse of freedom of expression. – Sandeep Kashyap
Blame us readers
Of late, I haven't come across an article that was as painful as this one ("My bookshop won’t tell you what people are reading: A bookseller’s lament as he waves goodbye"). For a person like me, who grew up reading books and is now growing old reading books, a bookstore is a fond equivalent of a temple or a mosque.
It's a matter of shame, not for the bookstore owners but for us, that we have failed to hold on to them. The times are fast and furious, and very few have the patience to browse through books inside a store during the lazy afternoons.
Readers have changed and so have reading habits. You can now download a book for free. But what about the smell of old and new books? What about the divine feeling of walking amidst piles and stacks of books, and wondering where to begin? And what about all those moments of helplessness, when we desperately wanted to buy a book and fell short of cash?
One bookstore closes down and people like us feel one nail being put through our coffins. The fault, my friend, is not in our stars, but in us. Hope things will change someday. – Abhishek Sengupta
***
In India, books are more expensive than films. The average cost of a movie ticket is around Rs.150. The average cost of a paperback is around Rs.350. Other forms of entertainment such as theatre are also cheaper. In the West, it's the other way around. Books are much cheaper than films and theatre.
The advent of e-books and e-tailing has also hastened the decline of the bookshop. Unless the bookshops convert themselves into a form of a community centre with readings, criticism, coffee, tea, food, debates, etc and attract people, it is a given that bookshops will die. Business as usual will not work. – Arvind Krishnaswamy
Book bounty
Thank you so much for this article ("Seven libraries that are quietly bringing children back to reading"). I have been associated with library projects in India which focus on reading and often have come across some beautiful libraries reaching out in the most difficult of places. – Ajaa
Human nature
I have just gone through Kanishka Gupta's hearty and frank deliberation on the experiences gathered working as an Indian literary agent ("The plight of the hapless Indian literary agent"). Your statements appear to hold true as they shed light on the eternal human frailties.
People are generally opportunist and selfish, irrespective of their class, creed, religion and status. But this is life. And we are still living in this world because some people are good. – Arup Basu Chowdhury
Different interpretations
I've just read Ulka Anjaria's piece elegising Amitav Ghosh's use of English and his attitude toward language as a nostalgic thing of the past, and welcoming Aravind Adiga's as a celebration of the present ("Amitav Ghosh and Aravind Adiga: two ways to write English in India").
I am not in a position to comment on Adiga, but I think that the piece misreads Ghosh. Yes, the English he uses is highbrow Oxford-educated English, not the English most often used in contemporary India. However, far from embracing an outdated English, he is concerned with demonstrating how comparably "free" trade, capital, and language have worked to consolidate Euro-American mercantile and imperial power both in the nineteenth centuries and in the present.
Time and time again in Ghosh's writing, he exposes the colonial, imperial, and neo-liberal appropriations of language, surely something highly illustrative of the continuity of capitalist globalisation (whereas, I'm tempted to suggest but cannot assert, Adiga's writing is more a product of these processes than a critique of them). Ghosh's withdrawal of his work from consideration for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize is another indication of his long-held critical stance toward the ongoing use of English as a means of cultural-imperialist control. – Josna Rege
Disruptive measures
I'm not sure if you implied what Arun Jaitley was trying to say ("Arun Jaitley just explained why Parliament rarely functions – no matter who's in charge"). I think his statement hinted that the BJP's rise to power was aided by disruptions in Parliament.
Had the BJP not disrupted Parliament and ensured that no bills were passed for the decade that the UPA was in power, the scams would not have received as much coverage the corrupt ministers would have continued to loot the country. The UPA may have even returned to power with a good economic record.
Now, the shoe is on the other foot. If not checked, these disruptions will help the UPA regain power. It's ironic, but that is the reality of Indian politics – Jay Nair
Serve our soldiers
The BJP is in self-destruction mode ("Modi's silence on bringing OROP turns deafening as police try to throw out protesting veterans"). The nation as a whole has started identifying with its soldiers. The ego of a few babus in the finance ministry, which is responsible for denying our veterans their rightful dues, has greatly diminished the Prime Minister's goodwill.
The morale of our armed forces has been adversely affected. A perplexed nation continues to watch this stupidity on the part of the ruling party. –MPS Virk
Non-viable energy
Nuclear power is the worst possible form of energy, not just from the environmental standpoint, but also because it is non-viable ("How Japan’s resumption of nuclear power generation may be good for India"). It destroys the ecology of the region and remains an extremely dangerous threat to the environment and human lives.
No developed country is talking about enhancing nuclear energy production. They only talk about setting up plants in countries such as India. They know that nuclear energy has no future, is too dangerous, too costly and too damaging to the environment. At the same time, it makes sense to earn and profit from setting up plants in such countries.
I agree that coal is bad for the environment, but how would you compare that to dealing with the effect of radiation in the vicinity of nuclear plants? What do you do with the toxic nuclear waste ? You cannot throw the waste in seas, cannot bury it in soil, or toss it up in the skies. – Sanjay Mehta
My view is that such people feel powerless ("Why we may never understand the reasons people hunt animals as ‘trophies’"). They want to have power over something more vulnerable than themselves. I recommend they attend a 12-step recovery program. – Margaret Damerell
Climate change
The media withholds from readers the underlying sensory cause of climate change as well as the remedy ("Four charts that show how India and the world are living beyond their ecological means"). It is insane to destroy our own life support system. – Mike Cohen
Pure knowledge
The article is an eye-opener on the focused pursuits of pure knowledge by a dedicated scientist ("An Indian scientist who spent 40 years studying a wasp receives Germany’s highest civilian honour"). It also illustrates the high quality of research happening in India. Such publicity is needed for public awareness. – JVV Murthy
Andhra capital
Irrespective of the merits, the largescale conversion of fertile arable land into urban development areas will have a long-term adverse impact on agriculture and the environment ("Land pooling strategy for the new Andhra capital could become a model for India's Smart Cities").
Preferably, an arid or semi-arid zone for the capital region should have been chosen. This would have not affected land owners and agriculture. In addition, it would have developed and brought prosperity to a poverty-ridden and environmentally degraded region which would otherwise remain neglected. – K Moorthy
Not hanged, murdered
This is an unbiased article on Dhananjay Chatterjee ("How India hanged a poor watchman whose guilt was far from established"). In my opinion, a poor man from Bankura who went to Kolkata to earn a living would not commit such a heinous crime.
I met his family a few years ago. Surviving on hope, bread and salt, they can't be called a family anymore. Chatterjee was not hanged. He was murdered by the judges of the court and the police officials investigating the case.
He was hanged for a fictional crime only because he was poor. I would like to thank you for highlighting this old case. – T Banerjee
Job hunting
The story is very engrossing ("No ticket, will travel: Andhra migrants search for work in Kerala"). The big bosses are busy building a new capital like Singapore but don't have time for these people. – Raju
Swept under the rug
On some occasions, industries are also indirectly harassed by officials ("The mantra of mining companies: 'If you can't stop pollution, hide it'"). If honest practices are adopted without harassment, then any normal human being would like to be on the right side of the law. The miner is running a business and surely his aim is to make a profit. – quader38786 on email
Parent trap
I simply loved the article ("A mother's dilemma: Rules for dating my daughter"). I have a 14-year-old daughter and found the article so relatable. I'm still not comfortable with the idea of my daughter dating anybody. Thank you for sharing. – Nilakshi
Reality check
According to the Indian Air Force, its personnel always defeat their foreign counterparts in exercises ("These Indian fighter pilots just whitewashed the UK's Royal Air Force 12-0 in the latest war games"). Its press releases are no doubt good for recruitment and for India's morale, but ask anyone at the top of the Indian military establishment if the claims are true and they'll laugh.
There's no question that India has some good pilots and good planes but it's fantasy to consider them superior to America. It's worth remembering that in the wars with Pakistan the IAF and Pakistani air force were evenly matched at best. – Jonathan Foreman
Musical musings
Wonderful article. I look forward to Sonic Saturdays ("Family music: A flashback to the time raags had many wives and sons"). I have been interested in Ragmala Paintings for a while, particularly in knowing how the painting itself was imagined. How was it decided what narrative could represent a particular raga? – Arunima Tiwari
Question time
Makes you wonder who is smarter: the person providing all the answers or the one thinking of the questions ("Who’s smarter: A questioning baby or a parent with all the answers?"). Thoughts should neither be excessive nor involuntary in children.
During the formative years, children must be encouraged to observe rather than question and accumulate knowledge. This is to ensure and maintain the full strength and stability of the human intelligence. – Prasanna
Food for thought
The pictures are more powerful than the article ("Egg on Madhya Pradesh CM's face as villagers gather to devour what he won't allow in child centres"). I showed them to my kids and told them the story. They were very moved too. – Sim See
We welcome your comments at
letters@scroll.in.
This article brought tears to my eyes – tears of anger. Kavita Krishnan makes the preposterous assumption that Yakub Memon was an innocent man cheated by the country's judicial system ("Rule of law, double standards and what the nation really needs to know"). This is blatant contempt of court. However, sending a notice to the author would be a waste of paper.
Hindus have and always will be a peace-loving people. But look at the price we have paid for being secular. Our secularism resulted in a change to the geographical composition of our country. We lost Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan in the process.
And thanks to people like Kavita Krishnan, we will lose Kashmir, Assam and other states too, but will not give up on our pseudo-secularism. I do not say this as a fanatic but as a person extremely worried about the sympathy shown for a terrorist responsible for the loss of innocent lives in Mumbai.
Had it not been for our secular bent of mind, would an Akbaruddin Owaisi get away with unprovoked hate speeches? And had it not been for an impartial judiciary, would Kavita Krishnan have the guts to write this article? – Sridhar Adivi
***
The author is a member of the CPI(ML). a party which endorses killing the so-called 'enemies of the people'. It's hypocrisy on her part to call for a ban on the death penalty.
She indirectly questions the judgments of the country's highest court. At the same time, she sympathises with those who still believe that Yakub Memon was innocent. That said, I completely agree with the author's views on lack of justice with regard to past riot cases. – Alok Kapoor
***
In our country, it's very easy to communalise everything, even terrorism, and that reflects in your article. You have very tactfully moulded the facts to suit your convenience.
I would like to remind you that it is our moral duty as humans and as Indians to condemn acts of terrorism anywhere and we should support the government irrespective of our caste, religion or our affiliation with any particular political party.
Ia democratic country, people do have right to express their opinion. But some self-regulation is also required on our part. The right to express an opinion doesn't mean that we can insult the judiciary. The Supreme Court has declared Yakub Memon a co-conspirator in the Mumbai blasts, so please respect that and do not insult the victims or their families by calling Memon a victim.
Any act of terrorism is against humanity, so not try to provide any logical reason or justification for such acts. You have the power to reach many people so please do not waste it. Do something which can really help the underprivileged people of our country. – Mamta
I really liked what the author has written about the 'rule of law'. I'm very happy that someone in this country has written something about equality and also posed questions to the government.
I hope this effort of yours won't fall on deaf ears. It really hurts to see terrorism being cited as the main cause for the neglect of Muslims. If there are people like you in this country then no one can break our unity – Altamash Shaikh
Gujarat riots
The article changed my view of the nation ("I was sick of the hateful climate in Gujarat: judge explains why he quit after the riots"). I loved my country because our elders brought freedom to us. But we are still not free and India needs a revolution to become secular again. I salute Mr. Trivedi. – Mohd Zuhaib
***
I appreciate your decision to publish the judge's comments. It will help the public understand the truth about the Gujarat riots. – Joshua Mathai
***
If "three months before the violence, lists were distributed detailing who works where and who lives where", how on Earth can anyone describe the Gujarat massacre of 2002 as "riots"?
Rioting is not pre-planned. Unfortunately, this reference to conspiracy by a former judge will not be treated as evidence, just as Babu Bajrangi's boasting before the camera of Tehelka was ignored. – Mukul Dube
Moral policing
I found this entire episode smacking of some nefarious plot in which consenting adults are being questioned for their private and very personal issues in public ("To halt moral policing, we must support our grown-up kids' right to share rooms with their partners"). What kind of morality and integrity were the police showing in invading privacy?
All the personnel involved in either giving the orders or executing them should be given a show cause notice. The woman police officer who slapped a girl should be suspended. – Farrukh Waris
***
The author of the article is openly propagating immoral behaviour. What does she mean when she expresses hatred towards the hotels and flat owners who ask for marriage certificates?
Would she let her daughter do this? Or is she propagating sex before marriage? This is blatant misuse of freedom of expression. – Sandeep Kashyap
Blame us readers
Of late, I haven't come across an article that was as painful as this one ("My bookshop won’t tell you what people are reading: A bookseller’s lament as he waves goodbye"). For a person like me, who grew up reading books and is now growing old reading books, a bookstore is a fond equivalent of a temple or a mosque.
It's a matter of shame, not for the bookstore owners but for us, that we have failed to hold on to them. The times are fast and furious, and very few have the patience to browse through books inside a store during the lazy afternoons.
Readers have changed and so have reading habits. You can now download a book for free. But what about the smell of old and new books? What about the divine feeling of walking amidst piles and stacks of books, and wondering where to begin? And what about all those moments of helplessness, when we desperately wanted to buy a book and fell short of cash?
One bookstore closes down and people like us feel one nail being put through our coffins. The fault, my friend, is not in our stars, but in us. Hope things will change someday. – Abhishek Sengupta
***
In India, books are more expensive than films. The average cost of a movie ticket is around Rs.150. The average cost of a paperback is around Rs.350. Other forms of entertainment such as theatre are also cheaper. In the West, it's the other way around. Books are much cheaper than films and theatre.
The advent of e-books and e-tailing has also hastened the decline of the bookshop. Unless the bookshops convert themselves into a form of a community centre with readings, criticism, coffee, tea, food, debates, etc and attract people, it is a given that bookshops will die. Business as usual will not work. – Arvind Krishnaswamy
Book bounty
Thank you so much for this article ("Seven libraries that are quietly bringing children back to reading"). I have been associated with library projects in India which focus on reading and often have come across some beautiful libraries reaching out in the most difficult of places. – Ajaa
Human nature
I have just gone through Kanishka Gupta's hearty and frank deliberation on the experiences gathered working as an Indian literary agent ("The plight of the hapless Indian literary agent"). Your statements appear to hold true as they shed light on the eternal human frailties.
People are generally opportunist and selfish, irrespective of their class, creed, religion and status. But this is life. And we are still living in this world because some people are good. – Arup Basu Chowdhury
Different interpretations
I've just read Ulka Anjaria's piece elegising Amitav Ghosh's use of English and his attitude toward language as a nostalgic thing of the past, and welcoming Aravind Adiga's as a celebration of the present ("Amitav Ghosh and Aravind Adiga: two ways to write English in India").
I am not in a position to comment on Adiga, but I think that the piece misreads Ghosh. Yes, the English he uses is highbrow Oxford-educated English, not the English most often used in contemporary India. However, far from embracing an outdated English, he is concerned with demonstrating how comparably "free" trade, capital, and language have worked to consolidate Euro-American mercantile and imperial power both in the nineteenth centuries and in the present.
Time and time again in Ghosh's writing, he exposes the colonial, imperial, and neo-liberal appropriations of language, surely something highly illustrative of the continuity of capitalist globalisation (whereas, I'm tempted to suggest but cannot assert, Adiga's writing is more a product of these processes than a critique of them). Ghosh's withdrawal of his work from consideration for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize is another indication of his long-held critical stance toward the ongoing use of English as a means of cultural-imperialist control. – Josna Rege
Disruptive measures
I'm not sure if you implied what Arun Jaitley was trying to say ("Arun Jaitley just explained why Parliament rarely functions – no matter who's in charge"). I think his statement hinted that the BJP's rise to power was aided by disruptions in Parliament.
Had the BJP not disrupted Parliament and ensured that no bills were passed for the decade that the UPA was in power, the scams would not have received as much coverage the corrupt ministers would have continued to loot the country. The UPA may have even returned to power with a good economic record.
Now, the shoe is on the other foot. If not checked, these disruptions will help the UPA regain power. It's ironic, but that is the reality of Indian politics – Jay Nair
Serve our soldiers
The BJP is in self-destruction mode ("Modi's silence on bringing OROP turns deafening as police try to throw out protesting veterans"). The nation as a whole has started identifying with its soldiers. The ego of a few babus in the finance ministry, which is responsible for denying our veterans their rightful dues, has greatly diminished the Prime Minister's goodwill.
The morale of our armed forces has been adversely affected. A perplexed nation continues to watch this stupidity on the part of the ruling party. –MPS Virk
Non-viable energy
Nuclear power is the worst possible form of energy, not just from the environmental standpoint, but also because it is non-viable ("How Japan’s resumption of nuclear power generation may be good for India"). It destroys the ecology of the region and remains an extremely dangerous threat to the environment and human lives.
No developed country is talking about enhancing nuclear energy production. They only talk about setting up plants in countries such as India. They know that nuclear energy has no future, is too dangerous, too costly and too damaging to the environment. At the same time, it makes sense to earn and profit from setting up plants in such countries.
I agree that coal is bad for the environment, but how would you compare that to dealing with the effect of radiation in the vicinity of nuclear plants? What do you do with the toxic nuclear waste ? You cannot throw the waste in seas, cannot bury it in soil, or toss it up in the skies. – Sanjay Mehta
Powerless hunters
My view is that such people feel powerless ("Why we may never understand the reasons people hunt animals as ‘trophies’"). They want to have power over something more vulnerable than themselves. I recommend they attend a 12-step recovery program. – Margaret Damerell
Climate change
The media withholds from readers the underlying sensory cause of climate change as well as the remedy ("Four charts that show how India and the world are living beyond their ecological means"). It is insane to destroy our own life support system. – Mike Cohen
Pure knowledge
The article is an eye-opener on the focused pursuits of pure knowledge by a dedicated scientist ("An Indian scientist who spent 40 years studying a wasp receives Germany’s highest civilian honour"). It also illustrates the high quality of research happening in India. Such publicity is needed for public awareness. – JVV Murthy
Andhra capital
Irrespective of the merits, the largescale conversion of fertile arable land into urban development areas will have a long-term adverse impact on agriculture and the environment ("Land pooling strategy for the new Andhra capital could become a model for India's Smart Cities").
Preferably, an arid or semi-arid zone for the capital region should have been chosen. This would have not affected land owners and agriculture. In addition, it would have developed and brought prosperity to a poverty-ridden and environmentally degraded region which would otherwise remain neglected. – K Moorthy
Not hanged, murdered
This is an unbiased article on Dhananjay Chatterjee ("How India hanged a poor watchman whose guilt was far from established"). In my opinion, a poor man from Bankura who went to Kolkata to earn a living would not commit such a heinous crime.
I met his family a few years ago. Surviving on hope, bread and salt, they can't be called a family anymore. Chatterjee was not hanged. He was murdered by the judges of the court and the police officials investigating the case.
He was hanged for a fictional crime only because he was poor. I would like to thank you for highlighting this old case. – T Banerjee
Job hunting
The story is very engrossing ("No ticket, will travel: Andhra migrants search for work in Kerala"). The big bosses are busy building a new capital like Singapore but don't have time for these people. – Raju
Swept under the rug
On some occasions, industries are also indirectly harassed by officials ("The mantra of mining companies: 'If you can't stop pollution, hide it'"). If honest practices are adopted without harassment, then any normal human being would like to be on the right side of the law. The miner is running a business and surely his aim is to make a profit. – quader38786 on email
Parent trap
I simply loved the article ("A mother's dilemma: Rules for dating my daughter"). I have a 14-year-old daughter and found the article so relatable. I'm still not comfortable with the idea of my daughter dating anybody. Thank you for sharing. – Nilakshi
Reality check
According to the Indian Air Force, its personnel always defeat their foreign counterparts in exercises ("These Indian fighter pilots just whitewashed the UK's Royal Air Force 12-0 in the latest war games"). Its press releases are no doubt good for recruitment and for India's morale, but ask anyone at the top of the Indian military establishment if the claims are true and they'll laugh.
There's no question that India has some good pilots and good planes but it's fantasy to consider them superior to America. It's worth remembering that in the wars with Pakistan the IAF and Pakistani air force were evenly matched at best. – Jonathan Foreman
Musical musings
Wonderful article. I look forward to Sonic Saturdays ("Family music: A flashback to the time raags had many wives and sons"). I have been interested in Ragmala Paintings for a while, particularly in knowing how the painting itself was imagined. How was it decided what narrative could represent a particular raga? – Arunima Tiwari
Question time
Makes you wonder who is smarter: the person providing all the answers or the one thinking of the questions ("Who’s smarter: A questioning baby or a parent with all the answers?"). Thoughts should neither be excessive nor involuntary in children.
During the formative years, children must be encouraged to observe rather than question and accumulate knowledge. This is to ensure and maintain the full strength and stability of the human intelligence. – Prasanna
Food for thought
The pictures are more powerful than the article ("Egg on Madhya Pradesh CM's face as villagers gather to devour what he won't allow in child centres"). I showed them to my kids and told them the story. They were very moved too. – Sim See